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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2007)
Fire danger notification ‘doomed from the beginning’ Public outcry over wildfire law implementation prompts legislators, Oregon Dept. of Forestry to seek solutions By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer Extreme public outcry regarding recently an- nounced wildfire protection regulations and potential fines affecting home owners has prompted district legis- lators and Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) officials to discuss possible solutions. Whether implementa- tion of the regulations is in abeyance until at least later this year is unclear, but revi- sions appear in the offing. Early in July approxi- mately 19,000 Josephine County residents were noti- fied that their properties were classified as high risk for wildfire. A July 18 pub- lic hearing at the county fairgrounds in Grants Pass was canceled due to an overflow crowd, but not before citizens could vehe- mently express their unhap- piness about the regulations. ODF Fire Prevention Specialist Brian Ballou ac- knowledges that mistakes were made in the public notification process. The notices to property owners were sent a week later than had been planned originally, he said, because the infor- mation was originally printed on postcards. The U.S. Postal Service wouldn't send the postcards because Petition seeks O&C overview by county By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer A petition requesting that the Josephine County Board of Commissioners adopt a plan for the use of local timber resources was presented to the board dur- ing its Wednesday morning, July 25 regular session. The petition was pre- sented in Anne Basker Auditorium in Grants Pass by Jim Frick, a broker with Century 21 Harris & Taylor. Frick serves as chairman for Southern Oregon Resource Alliance (SORA), a non- profit citizens group that Frick explained is devoted to the sustainability of for- ests and the local economy. Frick reminded the commissioners that the fed- eral government owns most of the land in Josephine County. As such, he said, a local resource management plan should include an obli- gation for good stewardship and recreation. State and federal agen- cies could work with the county in order to imple- ment a plan, Frick said. And a citizen resource advisory committee could be ap- pointed to aid in that coordi- nation, he added. The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is scheduled to release its Western Oregon Plan Revi- sion (WOPR) on Thursday, Aug. 9. That revision was due to the 2003 settlement of a lawsuit brought by the American Forest Resource Council. The suit alleged that the Northwest Forest Plan violated the O&C Lands Act of 1937 and nu- merous other laws. Any decisions resulting from WOPR would directly affect the county and its fi- nances, Frick said, so imme- diate action must be taken to preserve local interests. “We want this done expeditiously,” Frick said. While making his re- quest, Frick held up a news- paper and read recent head- lines regarding perceived lawlessness in Cave Junc- tion and surrounding the recent Humbug Fire near the town of Applegate. Those conditions will continue if current management prac- tices stay in place, Frick contends. County board Chairman Jim Raffenburg said that the WOPR will be discussed during the Thursday, Aug. 9 meeting of the Josephine County Long Term Funding Citizens Task Force at 1:30 p.m. at Anne Basker (Continued on page 4) Legion installs E. Buell She leads Oregon American Legion Auxiliary well, she will travel through- Cave Junction resident out Oregon visiting units Ellie Buell has been in- and posts. stalled as 2007-08 president Besides Buell’s state- of the American Legion level distinction, three oth- Auxiliary, Dept. of Oregon. ers from She is the Glenn Morri- first person son Auxiliary from Cave have attained Junction to state posi- become a de- tions. Michele partment president. Colbert is And she is the sergeant-at- fifth from arms; Laurel Southwestern Warden is Co mmu nity Oregon dur- Service chair- ing the past Ellie Buell man; and Tina 78 years to Haemmerlein is legislative gain the honor. chairman. Buell is a longtime Additionally, the Unit member of Glenn Morrison 70 Auxiliary was awarded Unit 70 Auxiliary. She has two trophies during the state held a number of positions convention in Astoria. It in the unit, as well as at the received the award for Best regional and state levels. VA&R Report/Membership She has chosen as the 1-99 (Warden was chair- theme for her year as presi- man); and Best All-Around dent, “We are Family, Poppy Program for the State United Working Together.” (Buell and Colbert were co- Buell has a full 12 chairmen). Also, the Poppy months of endeavors ahead, Program entry advances to including national conven- national-level competition. tion responsibilities. As the paper used for them was slightly too thin to meet postal regulations, Ballou said. “That mailing was doomed from the begin- ning,” Ballou said. “People who were getting notices in the mail had two or three days to finish their written testimony. Had they gotten it a week earlier as we had planned, I don’t think it would have been such a hot- button item.” Tom Atzet is a member of the Josephine County Forest Land-Urban Interface Classification Committee. That body was responsible for determining which prop- erties in the county would be considered “extreme” fire danger, and has held public meetings for more than a year. Even though those monthly meetings were ad- vertised and open to the public, they were sparsely attended, Atzet said. Upon receiving the clas- sification notices last month, residents were stunned to learn that they could be li- able for up to $100,000 in fines for fire suppression if a fire originates on their prop- erty. The original legislation that prompted the regula- tions was Senate Bill 360, the Oregon Forestland- Urban Interface Fire Protec- tion Act of 1997, which passed through the Oregon Senate on a 23-1 vote and the state House of Represen- tatives on a 52-0. It allows the state to assess suppres- sion costs up to $100,000 for fires originating on prop- erties classified as high-risk. A 1990 wildfire outside of Bend had resulted in the loss of 22 homes; another blaze hit that area six years later, and there was a similar conflagration in Medford. Ballou said that those fires were fresh in the minds of legislators when they passed SB 360. “It was primarily on the strength of those three fires that the Legislature took the recommendation from ODF and state fire marshal to go ahead and make this a law,” he said. Ballou said that the $100,000 figure had been recommended to legislators by the insurance industry. The number represented the average amount of home owner's insurance carried by property owners at the time. “That way, the Legisla- (Continued on page 3) *Illinois Valley’s Senior Little League team captured a state title. See page 9. *Blackberry Festival Aug. 10-12. See pages 5 and 14. *Cave Junction problem with vagrancy. See page 13. *Indian tribe challenges Takilma land sale. See page 3. PARTIAL DEMOLITION is under way preparatory to rebuilding the portion of Pizza Pit pulverized July 1 when a motorhome towing a car crashed into it. Work began slowly as asbestos-laden material had to be re- moved. Restaurant owner Bob Humphries means to reopen as soon as possible. (Photo by I.V. News) DeFazio fights Homeland Security for data access Congressman Peter De- Fazio (D-Springfield) has renewed his request for classi- fied documents about the government’s plans for ensur- ing continuity of government in the aftermath of a catastro- phic national emergency. As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, DeFazio is au- thorized to review classified and sensitive information in a secure room in the Capital Hill complex. This is the first time in 20 years in Congress that DeFazio has been denied access to classified information. DeFazio, a senior mem- ber of the House Homeland Security Committee, made the formal request with the Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Chris Carney. The letter was sent to Frances Townsend, the as- sistant to the Secretary for Homeland Security & Counterterrorism. It requests the classified annexes to Homeland Security Presi- dential Directive-20 (HSPD- 20), also known as the National Security Presiden- tial Directive-51. The directive lays out the government’s post- catastrophe plan. The letter requests the information by Thursday, Aug. 2. Earlier this month, after initially approving access to the annexes, the White House reversed course and refused DeFazio’s verbal request for the information. “I can’t see any reason or justification to deny a member of Congress the right to review how the Ad- ministration intends to con- duct the government of the United States after a catas- trophic national emer- gency,” DeFazio said. “I thought this was a routine request, but this makes you wonder.” If the White House again refuses to provide the requested documents, De- Fazio and the committee leaders will consider what additional actions may be necessary. JoCo job scene in mixed bag Some 300 payroll jobs were added in Josephine County during June, but figures nonetheless show a net decline of 110 jobs from June 2006, said Oregon Em- ployment Dept. (OED). The agency listed 26,570 persons under “Total Nonfarm Payroll Employment” during June vs. 26,680 during June 2006. The jobless rate in June equated to 6.7 percent; it was 6.5 percent during June a year ago; 6.1 percent during May this year. (Continued on page 9) KERBY EVENING OF ART was conducted Friday, July 27 at seven locations. The free program included (left) Larry Cavalier, a singer and pianist, at Kerbyville Farm; and numerous displays at the South- ern Oregon Guild Gallery & Artists Center at the Kerby Belt Bldg. Ad- ditional photos on page 14. (Photos by Illinois Valley News)
